Wayne Sleep and Anthony Dowell are off to the ball. At least, they are going to be making their debut as the Ugly Sisters in the Royal Ballet's new production of Frederick Ashton's Cinderella later this month. One of Ashton's most amusing scenes finds the twin monsters of delusional vanity being prettied up for the Prince's party. So what better way for these two iconic men of British ballet to prepare for their roles than to spend an hour being buffed and massaged at a beauty spa?

They're not only the most hideous characters in the classical repertory – they're also among the most challenging. Ismene Brown meets Wayne Sleep and Anthony Dowell preparing to follow in the footsteps of Helpmann and Ashton as the Ugly Sisters

The rubber for the noses is being melted, the powder and rouge prepared, the skirt hoops double-checked, and two of Britain's best-loved ballet dancers are feeling very scared. The prince of princes, Sir Anthony Dowell, and the prince of jesters, Wayne Sleep, are about to make their debuts as the Ugly Sisters at Covent Garden's major new production of Cinderella.

I hear this production will be taped with Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg, then shown on BBC on January 2. That's great casting to be recording, along with the Anthony Dowell and Wayne Sleep as the sisters.

I wonder if it will end up on those attractive Opus Arte DVDs the way other broadcasts since reopening have, like Coppelia, Nutcracker, and the Stravinsky double bill (Here's hoping from American shores!!).

Stepping into a fairy tale Alina Cojocaru has rocketed from the corps of the Royal Ballet to principal roles in two years. Now, she tells Zoe Anderson, she is performing in a dream of a ballet - Cinderella. From The Independent:

Alina Cojocaru arrives with a tutu in one hand and a bottle of strawberry milkshake in the other. She is rushing between rehearsals, fitting in an interview and a photo session between learning Cinderella and preparation for a mixed bill.

The new production of Cinderella is a triumph for the company, with ravishing designs and costumes. Alina Cojocaru was born to play Cinderella, she inhabits the role to perfection, and is already worthy to be listed with the great interpreters. Johann Kobborg matches her beautifully as the Prince.

Anthony Dowell and Wayne Sleep are very good indeed ,having suppressed a lot of the excesses of recent revivals, and should get even better as the run progresses.

Among the smaller roles, Isabel McMeekan was a gracious Fairy Godmother, and Jose Martin a brilliant Jester.

LIKE its heroine, the Royal Ballet’s Cinderella has had a complete makeover. A new production by Wendy Ellis Somes, freshly designed, has brought Ashton’s beloved 1948 ballet back to the Royal Opera House. You could say it was time for a facelift — the 1987 staging was looking a little gloomy — and the 2003 Cinderella is certainly lighter and prettier than its predecessor. But is it enough?

Theatre: Devoted sisters The Royal Ballet’s Cinderella, marking the return of Dowell and Sleep, adds sparkle to this year’s seasonal fare. By David Dougill for The Sunday Times

As well as being a genius, Frederick Ashton was a fast worker. He created his first three-act ballet, Cinderella, in just six weeks. That was in 1948, and his magical treatment of the story, with its brilliant blend of romantic lyricism and comedy set to Prokofiev’s music, has been a Royal Ballet classic ever since.

Dear old Cinderella, she so needed a redesign. David Walker's drab brown halls and sugary, nylony fairies, his tinselly dells and Twanky-sized Ugly Sister outfits have dressed Covent Garden Cinderellas since 1965, and framed both English National Ballet's past and present productions. Time, surely, for a fresh eye.

Cinderella, Royal Opera House, London The dreamiest ballroom ever By Zoe Anderson The Independent 31 December 2003

Quote:

The Royal Ballet's new production of Frederick Ashton's Cinderella is a strange experience. The choreography is all there, sharp and clear and meticulously danced. But the new designs surround the steps with fussy detail, and the dancing is sometimes more correct than grand. Ashton's dances draw you in, but the strange undercurrents of music and choreography aren't always there on stage

Designers have become gods of the theatre, licensed to reinvent any classic they're commissioned to stage. Yet Toer van Schayk's new sets for Cinderella, danced by the Royal Ballet, startle only through their old-fashioned decorum. Cinders' dusty wood-panelled *******, the Prince's columned palace and the Fairies' pastoral grottos all take us to benignly familiar worlds. And, while it's tempting to complain that Van Schayk has ducked the opportunity to make new magic, his designs both tell the story with speed and clarity and leave masses of room for Frederick Ashton's deft choreography to breathe.

There are many reasons why a ballet production could want a re-design. Sets and costumes might be dated or worn to shreds. There might not have been room to store them. Or they might - as with the Royal Ballet's last Cinderella - have been sold as a job lot to Japan, twig-broom, slipper and all. But whatever the reason, the decisions attendant on remodelling a repertory favourite are not to be taken lightly, particularly when it happens to be a glorious exposition of choreographic genius such as Frederick Ashton's - and the Royal's - first full-length ballet.

Cinderella A most English ballet Fifty-five years to the day since its opening night, Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella returned to the Covent Garden stage on December 23 in a new production by Wendy Ellis Somes, with sets by Toer van Schayk and costumes by Christine Haworth. In this critical overview, Gerald Dowler for The Dancing Times reviews some of the performances, puts the ballet into context, explores its significance, highlights its strengths and weaknesses, and recommends some recordings.

Let me confess first that I really like Cinderella. I am not alone, I know, but the ballet has its detractors and, despite its general popularity, is not universally considered quite an Ashtonian

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